FEDERAL LAWSUIT NAMES TEACHER, PALM BEACH COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD AS DEFENDANTS. TEACHER PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED IN PALM BEACH COUNTY.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
UPDATED AT 4 p.m. with statement from the Palm Beach County School District.
BOYNTON BEACH, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The Palm Beach County School Board and a physical education teacher at a South Palm Beach County elementary school are facing a federal lawsuit just filed by the parents of a girl who claim their daughter was raped repeatedly by the teacher in a school bathroom. The teacher, according to Palm Beach County records, has been arrested at least twice on unrelated charges. Despite the arrests, he was still hired by the school district to work in an elementary school.
The suit names Sunset Palms Elementary gym teacher Dax Rankine as the teacher who committed the assaults. He has NOT been criminally charged. The website for Sunset Palms Elementary at 8650 Boynton Beach Boulevard states that Rankine currently works in the “athletics” department in the school. BocaNewsNow.com obtained the suit filed in The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. We are publishing the entire complaint at the end of this report. Here are the key allegations included in the complaint:
“In the 2017-2018 school year JANIE DOE was a second-grade student at Sunset Palms Elementary School, a school within the BOARD and RANKINE, an employee of the BOARD, was her Physical Education (PE) teacher. In the 2018-2019 school year JANIE DOE was a third-grade student at Sunset Palms Elementary School, a school within the BOARD and RANKINE, an employee of the BOARD, was her PE teacher. In the 2019-2020 school year JANIE DOE was a fourth-grade student at Sunset Palms Elementary School, a school within the BOARD and RANKINE, an employee of the BOARD, was her PE teacher until such time as the school temporarily moved to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. JANIE DOE had been familiar with Defendant RANKINE since she was in Kindergarten and always found him “touchy” and that he stood too close to her. During the 2017-2018 school year during PE class, Defendant RANKINE often touched JANIE DOE on the upper inner thigh while purporting to help her stretch. This touching made JANIE DOE uncomfortable. During the 2018-2019 school year during PE class, Defendant RANKINE continued to touch JANIE DOE but in addition to touching her inner thigh to “help” her stretch, he started placing his hands on her chest, grabbing her chest area.
This further touching made JANIE DOE even more uncomfortable. Toward the end of the 2018-2019 school year or the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year, JANIE DOE arrived early at school as she often did because she like going to the cafeteria before class. That morning, as she headed to the cafeteria, JANIE DOE entered one of the girls’ bathrooms on the first floor at school, locked the door behind herself, and entered the handicap toilet stall because it afforded more room than the regular stalls. As she exited the stall, she was surprised to see Defendant RANKINE who she presumed had used a key to enter the bathroom. Defendant RANKINE grabbed JANIE DOE and pushed her back into the stall. Defendant RANKINE told JANIE DOE that she would “get in trouble” if she did not do as he directed her and/or if she told anyone what had occurred. Defendant RANKINE was aware that JANIE DOE had the reputation at school of being a quiet and obedient child who complied with teachers’ instructions. Defendant RANKINE then made JANIE DOE remove her lower clothes including her underwear. After JANIE DOE removed her clothes as instructed by Defendant RANKINE, Defendant RANKINE turned her around, leaned her against the wall, and put his hand over her mouth. Defendant RANKINE then raped JANIE DOE. When Defendant RANKINE had finished raping JANIE DOE, she felt very sore. Defendant RANKINE then left the girls’ bathroom without saying anything to her.
One day in early 2020, shortly before the school moved to online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, JANIE DOE was in PE class near the Pavilion area of the school where there were individual, locking bathrooms. None of JANIE DOE’s classmates were around that area near the Pavilion because they were scattered in different areas outside with different teachers. JANIE DOE needed to use the restroom, so she entered one of the bathrooms and locked the door behind herself. While JANIE DOE was in the restroom, she heard the door unlock from the outside. After the restroom door unlocked, Defendant RANKINE entered the bathroom and locked the door behind himself. Defendant RANKINE directed JANIE DOE to again disrobe herself on the bottom, turned her against the wall covering her mouth, and, again, raped her as he had done before. JANIE DOE did not report this incident to the school or her parents because, again, Defendant RANKINE told her that, if she told anyone, there would be big trouble. Shortly thereafter, Sunset Palms Elementary School closed temporarily, and classes moved online. Because of the school’s closure, JANIE DOE no longer had contact with Defendant RANKINE.”
The federal lawsuit alleges that not only did Dax Rankine commit rape, but that the Palm Beach County School Board did nothing about it. The suit additionally claims that the Palm Beach County School Board should have never hired Rankine who had an arrest history prior to his start date with the school system.
Databases accessed by BocaNewsNow.com indicate that Rankine has faced charges in Palm Beach County and other jurisdictions over the past 25 years. A charge relating to driving under the influence in Palm Beach County in 2019 was ultimately not prosecuted. Rankine, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, refused to provide a breath sample to police at the time of his arrest.
We remind our readers that a lawsuit is an allegation that will be presented to a judge and potentially a jury. The family of the alleged rape victim is represented by Attorney Marc Wites of Wites and Rogers in Lighthouse Point. Neither the Palm Beach County School District nor Dax Rankine had responses to the suit processed by the United States District Court online system known as “PACER” as of 5 a.m. Tuesday.
UPDATE: The Palm Beach County School District at 4 p.m. Tuesday provided BocaNewsNow.com with a statement issued to parents via robocall: “I have heard from many of you regarding a teacher at our school, and it’s my priority to keep our school community informed. I wanted to let you know that the teacher will not be returning to our campus. An allegation was made last year involving this teacher and a student. I also want you to know that this matter was thoroughly investigated at that time by District officials, law enforcement, and the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF). As there is now civil litigation involving this teacher, we will refrain from further comments at this time.
Our school is committed to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism. A certified teacher or substitute will be filling in while we work to find a permanent, highly qualified teacher to fill this position. Please be assured that the safety and security of our students is, and will always remain, my top priority.”
Read the complete lawsuit, below.
I’ve known Coach Rankine as a Sunset parent for 12+ years. Based on his nature and character, and his many interactions with my two daughters over the years, as well as Sunset Palms strict security protocols, these allegations seem proposterous and maybe retaliatory?
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